Audio-based social media platform

ABSTRACT

A method for audio-based social media messaging for a wearable device includes generating a first audio message using a wearable device, the wearable device having at least one microphone and at least one speaker and conveying the first audio message from the wearable device to an audio-based social media platform using a wireless radio transceiver within the wearable device.

PRIORITY STATEMENT

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 15/716,204, filed on Sep. 26, 2017, which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/400,391, filed onSep. 27, 2016, both entitled “Audio-based social media platform”, herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to audio-based social media communicationusing wearable devices. More particularly, but not exclusively, thepresent invention relates to an audio-based social media platform.

BACKGROUND

Social media provides users with a computer-mediated tool to create,share, and exchange information. Computer-mediated tools such asFacebook chats, Instagram posts, LinkedIn, and text messaging allnecessitate the use of a screen for the exchange of information.Teenagers in the United States spend about nine hours per day in frontof a screen. Therefore, what is needed is a new form of communicationwith a completely screen free messenger interface.

SUMMARY

Therefore, it is a primary object, feature, or advantage of the presentinvention to improve over the state of the art.

It is a further object, feature, or advantage of the present inventionto provide enhanced auditory communication using wearable devices.

It is a still further object, feature, or advantage of the presentinvention to provide users with a social media network of people usingaudio-based communication.

Another object, feature, or advantage is to interact with others withoutthe need to use keyboards or screens.

It is still a further object, feature, or advantage of the presentinvention to provide the user with a means of sending audio-basedcommunication via a gesture.

It is another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention toprovide an individual with the ability to share audio messaging with anindividual person, a group of people, or even strangers.

Yet another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is toassociate an audio message with a particular location.

A further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is toprovide for a social media experience that emulates real life.

A still further object, feature, or advantage is to allow for personaland immediate communications between people.

Another object, feature, or advantage is to allow for a social mediaexperience that promotes conversational interaction and authenticinteractions.

Yet another object, feature, or advantage is to provide for a socialmedia experience, which may be used for purely social or businessrelated interactions including those, which promote customer engagement.

A further object, feature, or advantage is to provide for a social mediaexperience which need not result in interactions being permanent andallows for interactions which are private.

One or more of these and/or other objects, features, or advantages ofthe present invention will become apparent from the specification andclaims that follow. No single embodiment need provide each and everyobject, feature, or advantage. Different embodiments may have differentobjects, features, or advantages. Therefore, the present invention isnot to be limited to or by any objects, features, or advantages statedherein.

According to one aspect, a method for audio-based social media messagingfor a wearable device includes generating a first audio message using awearable device, the wearable device having at least one microphone andat least one speaker and conveying the first audio message from thewearable device to an audio-based social media platform using a wirelessradio transceiver within the wearable device. The method may furtherinclude generating social media data associated with the first audiomessage at the wearable device and conveying the social media data tothe audio-based social media platform using the wireless radiotransceiver within the wearable device. The social media data mayinclude delivery data indicating one or more users on the social mediaplatform to receive the first audio message, a location associated withwhere the first audio message is generated or where the wearable deviceis located when the audio message is sent. The method may furtherinclude receiving a notification from the wearable device that a secondaudio message is available. The method may further include playing thesecond audio message using the wearable device.

According to another aspect, a wearable device configured to support anaudio-based social media network. The wearable device may include awearable device housing, at least one speaker associated with thewearable device housing, at least one microphone associated with thewearable device housing and a wireless transceiver disposed within thewearable device housing. The wearable device may be configured toconnect to the audio-based social media network through the wirelesstransceiver to send and receive audio messages.

According to another aspect, a method for providing audio-based socialmedia messaging to a plurality of wearable devices, each of the wearabledevice having a speaker and a microphone includes steps of receivingaudio messages and audio message identification and delivery data fromthe plurality of wearable devices, storing the audio messages and theaudio message identification and delivery data on a server platform, anddelivering one or more of the audio messages to one or more of theplurality of wearable devices based on the audio message identificationand the delivery data.

According to another aspect, a method for audio-based social mediamessaging for a wearable device is provided. The method includesgenerating a first audio message using a first wearable device, thefirst wearable device having at least one microphone and at least onespeaker and no screen display, and sending the first audio message fromthe first wearable device over a network to an audio-based social mediaserver platform using a wireless radio transceiver within the firstwearable device. The method may further include storing the first audiomessage on the audio-based social media server platform for a timeperiod, and communicating the first audio message on the audio-basedsocial media server platform to a second wearable device, the secondwearable device having at least one microphone and at least one speakerand no screen display. The method may further include generating socialmedia data associated with the first audio message at the first wearabledevice and conveying the social media data to the audio-based socialmedia platform using the wireless radio transceiver within the firstwearable device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrated embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail belowwith reference to the attached drawing figures, which are incorporatedby reference herein.

FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation depicting one example of wearabledevices interacting with an audio-based social media platform.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a bubble which multiple users and theirassociated wearable devices are a part of.

FIG. 3 illustrates a wearable device and a series of bubbles beinggenerated by or received at the wearable device.

FIG. 4 illustrates a bubble being popped.

FIG. 5 illustrates a bubble with a series of audio messages containedtherein.

FIG. 6 illustrates a bubble anchored to a particular location.

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of one example of a wearable device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to an audio-based social media messagingplatform or experience and related systems and methods. Current socialmedia applications generally provide users with a screen-based method ofsharing information that focuses on typing and reading information.These social media sites are limited in the manner and location in whichthe user may communicate information. Users must be in places they cantype out a message, and have their electronic devices with them. One ofthe criticisms of such social media usage is that users can missexperiencing life around them because of their fixation on a display.Another problem relates to safety. If users stare at screens while theywalk, drive, or engage in other activities, the users put themselvesand/or others in danger. Therefore an audio-based social media messagingplatform as shown and described herein allows for removing the need torely on a display and promotes more natural social media communications.Thus, chats may occur without keyboards or screens and while a user isotherwise interacting with their environment. The term “bubble” issometimes used herein when referring to aspects of the invention. Asused herein, a “bubble” is associated with an audio message that mayhave a particular reach. It may include the content of one or more audiomessages as well as convey inclusiveness or reach (e.g. bubbles may growsuch as to include others or add to the messaging) and may also convey atemporary nature of the communication (e.g. a bubble may be popped).

To trigger the audio-based social media application or functionality, agesture may be used. The gesture may be used as input to a wearabledevice such as an earpiece having one or more microphones. Oncetriggered or activated an audio message or bubble may be sent by simplyspeaking. The audio message or bubble may be of different types and havedifferent delivery options associated with it. For examples, a user maysend an audio message in the form of a bubble to other users in theirsocial media network or group or sub-group within their social medianetwork or list of contacts within the social media network.Alternatively, the user may send an audio message or bubble to a singlerecipient. A user may also make the bubble “fly” and allow the bubble tobe shared with other users of the audio-based social media platform whoare not within the list of contacts associated with the user.Alternatively, a user may “stick” the audio message or bubble to aparticular location (such as a geolocation associated with the user'scurrent location or other location) so that other users may only hearthe audio message or join the bubble when present at the location.

A list may be maintained locally and/or on a server associated with theaudio-based social media platform. The list may include a plurality ofdifferent contacts associated with a user. It is contemplated that auser may build this list or add to it individually. In addition, oralternatively, the audio-based social medial platform may scan anynumber of different social media channels associated with a user inorder to add contacts into this list. This may include email contacts,social media contacts, or other types of contacts. A user may invitesomeone to message or join a bubble in one tap or less.

In addition, artificial intelligence may be used to generate an audiomessage around a user so that the user does not feel alone and to makethe social media platform a more inclusive and positive experience forall users. The audio message may relate to the location of the user, theenvironment of the user, or otherwise be of interest to the user. Forexample, the audio message may contain good news or interestinginformation. In addition, a user may create a bubble which is directedto an artificial intelligence system and the response may then be a partof a bubble.

There are numerous different types of messages. For example, familymembers may leave messages for one another. Thus, for example, a mothercould create a bubble stating, “There is some lasagna in the fridge justheat it up, mom.” The mother could share this directly to one or morechildren. Alternatively, the mother could attach this to a location ator near the refrigerator or within the kitchen so that the bubble wouldbe available at an appropriate when the children are in the kitchen.This example is an example of an indoor bubble.

Similarly, a bubble may be attached to an outdoor location. For example,a bubble may be attached to location that states “from here you have thebest view on the bay bridge.” Thus, when individuals open to receivemessages are at the location they can hear the message of this bubbleand that promotes active engagement with their environment.

A bubble may also be epic in nature. For example, a bubble may be sentwhich states “around cape canaveral you can find a lot of bubbles fromNeil Armstrong bubbling about Apollo 11.” Of course, bubbles may beotherwise epic in nature depending upon their content or environment.

A bubble may also be a service bubble. For example, a restaurantguidebook, online review site, or other service provider may leave amessage associated with a restaurant such as, “In this lovely restauranteverything is good. Try the red thai curry their most famous dish.”Thus, a person may have information available to them in the form of abubble at the place and time of need.

In addition, messages may be created with artificial intelligence orwhich are directed to artificial intelligence may be created. Forexample, a messages of “I wonder where there is the next good indianplace?” may be created or the message “Where is the next good indianplace?” and these messages may be directed towards an artificialintelligence system for responding such as by selecting a pre-existingbubble (e.g. a service bubble previously created) or creating a responseto add to a bubble.

Group bubbles is another type of bubble that may be set. For example, abubble may be sent to or shared with a plurality of recipients thatstates, “Let's create a Saturday barbeque bubble!.” Once created,messaging associated that event may be associated with the bubble.

A live bubble may be sent such as “Let's link with BUBBLE!” therebyinviting one or more additional individuals to communicate with oneanother using the platform.

A “spread bubble” such as “Random Jokes & Wisdom” may be sent. Thespread bubble may be used to collect messages from any number ofdifferent users and such a bubble will grow over time.

A “love bubble” such as “seeking a good night, male 28” may be sent.This type of bubble may be sent to recipients open to receiving thistype of bubble.

It is to be understood that the above examples of different types ofbubbles is not limiting and that any number of different types ofbubbles are contemplated based on the content of the bubble, the mannerin which the bubble is to be disseminated, the location of the bubble,the recipient(s) of the bubble, the source of the bubble, or otherwise.

It is further contemplated that bubbles may be popped. Thus, unlikecertain forms of social media contents of bubbles need not be public norpermanent but may be fleeting and ephemeral. Once popped a bubble maysimply cease to exist no longer stored anywhere or accessible by anyone.Alternatively, once popped the bubble may be temporarily stored andmarked for deletion according to a bubble retention policy or based onuser preferences with the possibility of restoring the bubble such as ifthe bubble was inadvertently or prematurely popped. It is contemplatedthat different rules may be implemented regarding who has permission orauthority to pop a bubble. For example, anyone who creates the bubblemay pop it, anyone who receives the bubble may pop it, only the creatormay pop it, only the receiver may pop it, if it is a group bubble onlythe creator may pop it, the bubble may automatically pop after a settime period or on a certain time and date, after a certain number oflistens, or any number of different rules may be applied. Note that therules may be based in whole or in part on user preferences and thatdifferent rules may apply for different types of bubbles. For example, aservice bubble may pop after it has been listened to a set number oftimes if a service provider only pays for a set number of listens. It isalso contemplated that meta data about a bubble may also potentially bemaintained after a bubble has been popped such as information about whowas a part of the bubble or other information which does not include theactual audio message. It is also contemplated that some types of bubblesmay be effectively permanent in nature where desired.

The ability to pop a bubble may be advantageous in a number of differentsituations and for a variety of different reasons. For example, theability to pop a bubble allows for interactions between individuals tobe temporary in nature and not permanent and potentially public.Therefore the use of bubbles may serve to better emulate real lifeperson-to-person conversations and be more authentic. This may also bemore advantageous for customer engagement as well such as interactionsbetween an individual and customer support or other types of businessinteractions where it is helpful to promote authenticity and allow forconversational interaction.

FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a system that includes an audio-basedsocial media platform. As shown in FIG. 1 a first wearable device orsystem 10A in the form of one or more earpieces 12A, 12B may create anaudio message as part of a new or existing bubble, wherein a secondwearable device or system 10B in the form of one or more earpieces 12C,12D is also a part of the bubble 14 or otherwise has access to orinteracts with the bubble 14. Alternatively, other types of wearablesmay be used including over-the-ear ear phones 11. The audio message andrelated data such as delivery data or meta data about the bubble may becommunicated over a network to an audio messaging social media serverplatform. The audio messaging social media server platform 18 mayinclude one or more servers which may be hardware based or virtualservers. Where multiple servers are present load balancing may beprovided. The server platform 18 is in operative communication with oneor more databases 19 or other data storage which may store audiomessages and related data including delivery data such as identificationof others within the bubble, a location or geolocation to which thebubble is tethered, a time at which the message is to be delivered, orother information.

The servers may provide for any number of different functions. Forexample, the servers may be configured to filter the messages from thebubble. Thus, if audio messages are negative or inappropriate based onpolicies of the social media platform, or according to user preferences,the audio messages may be deleted or returned to the sender with thesender being notified that the message will not be permitted within abubble. Such content filtering allows for the social media platformwhich promotes positive communications.

Note that the wearable devices 10A, 10B may access the network 16 in anynumber of ways depending upon their hardware configuration. For example,the wearable devices may include Bluetooth or Bluetooth wirelesstransceivers which communicate with mobile devices (not shown) such asphones or tablets which then access the network through a cellulartransceiver or Wi-Fi transceiver. Alternatively, the wearable devicesmay include a cellular transceiver of Wi-Fi transceiver, or the networkmay be otherwise accessed.

Although the wearable devices shown are in the form of earpieces whichmay be ear bud earpieces or over-the-ear earphones or other formfactors, other types of wearable devices may be used such as articles ofclothing, jewelry items, watches, eye glass(es), or other wearabledevices. In addition, note that no screen displays are required for thewearable devices because the social media network is audio messagingsocial media platform. Thus, the audio messages may be sent, received,stored, shared, deleted, or other actions may be taken without use of ascreen display by a user.

FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a bubble 14. As shown in FIG. 2 ,multiple different users and/or their associated wearable devices may bea part of a bubble. Being a part of a bubble includes the ability toaccess audio messages associated with a bubble and/or create audiomessages associated with bubble, or otherwise control the bubble 14.

FIG. 3 illustrates another example of a series of bubbles 14A, 14B, 14Cassociated with a wearable device 10A. A user may create a bubble 14A,14B, 14C or join a bubble or otherwise use a bubble for sending orreceiving communications.

FIG. 4 illustrates a wearable device 10A and a bubble 14 and furtherillustrates that a user may choose to pop the bubble 14. Upon thepopping of a bubble 14, the contents may no longer be available to theusers or others who had access to the contents of the bubble 14. Thus,for example, if the bubble 14 included a plurality of audio messages,the audio messages would no longer be available in the normal course ofusage.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a bubble 14 which includes a pluralityof different audio messages between persons “within” the bubble 14. Whenthe conversation is complete the bubble can be popped.

FIG. 6 illustrates one example of interacting with a bubble which isanchored to a particular location or geolocation. Thus, in oneembodiment, a user only accesses an audio message associated with thatbubble when the user is present at that location or in very nearproximity thereto. Similarly, while at a particular location, a user maycreate a bubble and anchor it to that location. A user may also be ableto create bubbles for particular locations even when they are notphysically present at that location. The locations may be geolocationsor may be other relative locations. For example, a location may beanchored to a vehicle or other device.

FIG. 7 illustrates one example of an earpiece which may be used. Wheremore than one earpiece is used as a part of a wearable device certainfunctionality may exist in only the right earpiece or only the leftearpiece and need not be present in both earpieces. For example, healthmonitoring sensors need only be present in one of the earpieces. Asshown in FIG. 6 , an intelligent control system 30 is shown which mayinclude one or more processors. Sensors 32 may be operatively connectedto the intelligent control system 30. Any number of different sensorsmay be used including air microphones 70, bone microphones 71, one ormore inertial sensors 76, a pulse oximeter 78, and one or moretemperature sensors 80. One or more speakers 73 may be present. The oneor more microphones 70, 71 may be used for sensing voice soundcommunications from a user such as audio messages for including within abubble. The one or more speakers 73 may be used for generating soundsuch as one or more audio messages from within a bubble. A gesturecontrol interface 36 is shown which is operatively connected to theintelligent control system 30. The gesture control interface may includeone or more emitters 82 and one or more detectors 84 which may be usedfor sensing gestures such as taps, double taps, triple taps, tap andholds, swipes, or other gestures. One or more LEDs may be present whichare operatively connected to the intelligent control system 30. One ormore transceivers may also be present such as a radio transceiver 34which may be a BLUETOOTH or BLE transceiver or Wi-Fi transceiver, orcellular transceiver and a transceiver 35 which may be a near fieldmagnetic induction transceiver. Of course, other types of transceiversmay be used.

As shown in FIG. 7 , various types of sensors may be present in thewearable device or in operative communication with or networked to thewearable device. Data from one or more sensors may be used to create oradd to a bubble. The wearable sensors may be used to read userbiometrics, including but not limited to pulse rate, blood pressure,blood oxygenation, temperature, calories expended, blood or sweatchemical content, voice and audio input, impact levels, and orientation(e.g., body, head, etc.). The wearable sensors may also determine theuser's location, position, velocity, impact levels, and so forth. Insome embodiments, the wearable device or the audio-based social mediaplatform may create audio messages from data sensed by the wearabledevice. For example, the wearable device may track distance run,distance swam, distance biked, or related information. Periodic ormilestone event measurements may be communicated to others who are apart of a bubble. For example, a marathon training group may receivemessages from the wearable devices of others within the group regardingthe activity of their fellow group members. Thus, group members can thenadd to the bubble by commenting with their own audio messages such ascongratulatory messages or words of praise or encouragement. Note thatthe person performing the activity can continue to perform the activityand still access the audio message. Similarly, a weight loss group couldcommunicate with one another after a wearable device communicatesestimated calories expended or exercise performed by a group member.These examples further illustrate some of the benefits of an audio-basedsocial media platform which allows individuals to participate in socialmedia while also actively engaged in activities and doing so in anatural manner.

If a user is not available to hear the BUBBLE, the BUBBLE may be storeduntil the user can access it and listen to it. A wearable device allowsthe user to operate in a hands-free situation. Since the messages sentare spoken by the user instead of being typed, the user has the optionto send, receive, and manage the BUBBLES in more convenient locations,such as while walking or driving or otherwise actively engaged in otheractivities.

It is to also be understood that the audio-based social media platformmay maintain databases of its own users, or it may interact with anothersocial network to reach more users. Other social networks include butare not limited to, FACEBOOK, FACEBOOK MESSENGER, GOOGLE, GOOGLE+,SNAPCHAT, LINKEDIN, YOUTUBE, VIBER, TUMBLR, TWITTER, BAIDU TIEBA,PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, WHATSAPP or others. The audio-based social mediaplatform may interact with other social media services in variousmanners. For example, a user's contacts on various different socialmedia platforms may be integrated into a list of contacts on theaudio-based social media platform. In addition, various other socialmedia platforms may integrate with the audio based social media platformin one manner or another. For example, a user may select to have othertypes of social media messages converted into bubbles.

Preferably each BUBBLE contains good news or interesting stuff. Becauseof filtering that may be performed using artificial intelligence todelete hateful messages or otherwise negative or inappropriate messages,users will be encouraged to leave messages which feel playful and good.

The invention is not to be limited to the particular embodimentsdescribed herein. In particular, the invention contemplates numerousvariations in the server platform used, the manner in which messages areconveyed, the manner in which messages are created, the manner in whichmessages are delivered, and other variations. The foregoing descriptionhas been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It isnot intended to be an exhaustive list or limit any of the invention tothe precise forms disclosed. It is contemplated that other alternativesor exemplary aspects are considered included in the invention. Thedescription is merely examples of embodiments, processes or methods ofthe invention. It is understood that any other modifications,substitutions, and/or additions can be made, which are within theintended spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for audio-based social media messagingfor a wearable device, the method comprising: generating a first audiomessage by a first user using at least one microphone of a firstwearable device, the first wearable device having a processoroperatively connected to the first microphone and at least one speakeroperatively connected to the processor; associating the first audiomessage with a bubble; sending the first audio message from the firstwearable device over a network to an audio-based social media serverplatform using a wireless radio transceiver operatively connected to theprocessor within the first wearable device; storing the first audiomessage on the audio-based social media server platform for a timeperiod associated with the bubble; communicating the first audio messageon the audio-based social media server platform to a second wearabledevice, the second wearable device having at least one microphone and atleast one speaker; receiving a second audio message at the firstwearable device from a second user of the second wearable device;associating the second audio message with the bubble; playing the secondaudio message using the first wearable device; storing the second audiomessage on the audio-based social media server platform for a remainingportion of the time period; and removing the first audio message and thesecond audio message from the audio-based social media server platformafter expiration of the time period such that both the first audiomessage and the second audio message are removed together when thebubble is popped, wherein the time period is determined based on rulesdefined by user preferences.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprisinggenerating social media data associated with the first audio message atthe first wearable device and conveying the social media data to theaudio-based social media platform using the wireless radio transceiverwithin the first wearable device.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein thesocial media data comprises delivery data indicating one or more userson the social media platform to receive the first audio message.
 4. Themethod of claim 3 wherein the social media data includes a locationassociated with at least one of a location where the first audio messageis generated or a location where the first wearable device is locatedwhen the first audio message is sent.
 5. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising receiving a notification from the first wearable device thatthe second audio message is available.
 6. The method of claim 5 whereina second set of social media data is associated with the second audiomessage.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving at thefirst wearable device a selection of a type for the bubble.
 8. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the time period is determined by a user of thefirst wearable device.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the time periodis a time period defined by amount of time to share the first audiomessage a plurality of n times, where n is an integer number specifiedby at least one of a user of the first wearable device and theaudio-based social media server.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein thefirst wearable device comprises a left earpiece and a right earpiece.11. A method for providing audio-based social media messaging to aplurality of wearable devices, the method comprising steps of: receivinga plurality of audio messages and audio message identification anddelivery data from the plurality of wearable devices using an audio userinterface, the plurality of audio messages including at least a firstaudio message from a first of the plurality of wearable devices and asecond audio message from a second of the plurality of wearable devices;storing the plurality of audio messages and the audio messageidentification and delivery data on a server platform; delivering one ormore of the plurality of audio messages to one or more of the pluralityof wearable devices based on the audio message identification and thedelivery data; and removing the first audio message and the second audiomessage from the server platform according to a rule associated with thefirst audio message, wherein the rule is determined by user preferencessetting a number of times the first audio message is listened to beforethe plurality of audio messages are removed.
 12. The method of claim 11further comprising receiving location information from the plurality ofwearable devices.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step ofdelivering is further based on the location information.
 14. The methodof claim 11 further comprising applying content filtering to the audiomessages.
 15. The method of claim 14 further comprising deleting ormodifying one or more of the audio messages based on the contentfiltering.
 16. A method for providing audio-based social media messagingto a plurality of wearable devices, each of the wearable device having aspeaker, a wireless transceiver, and a microphone, the method comprisingsteps of: receiving a first audio message and a second audio message andaudio message identification and delivery data from the plurality ofwearable devices; storing the first audio message and the second audiomessage and the audio message identification and delivery data on aserver platform; delivering one or more of the first audio message andthe second audio message from the server platform to one or more of theplurality of wearable devices based on the audio message identificationand the delivery data utilizing the wireless transceiver of the one ormore of the plurality of wearable devices; and removing the first audiomessage and the second audio message from the server platform afterexpiration of a time period associated with a bubble containing thefirst audio message and the second audio message such that the firstaudio message and the second audio message are removed simultaneously,wherein the time period is determined by user preference settings forthe bubble.